“I started doing a lot of the Botox and fillers at 56, and was in the throes of getting out of my marriage after 22 years, and wanted to feel like a sexy woman again,” said Peggy Kragie, a Chicago boomer.

Women like Ms. Kragie who reached their peak with exercise years ago are opting for surgery to reverse changes to their breasts, stomach, hips and thighs that often stem from past pregnancies. Men, too, are looking to revitalize aging faces with soft tissue fillers, and tone their bodies with thigh lifts or calf augmentations.

Still, some boomers place a high premium on instant gratification. Peggy Kragie, a 59-year-old Chicago resident, charged $14,000 on her credit card three years ago to pay for her tummy tuck and eye lift. While Ms. Kragie said she's happy with the results, she admitted, “I had no business doing that.”

“I try to assess whether the problem is as serious as they think it is,” said Dr. Allan Parungao, an Oak Park, Ill., plastic surgeon. “If I can't really see there is going to be much improvement, I turn them away.”